How do I see grades from PowerSchool and Canvas in one place?

The two-portal problem most parents face

If your child's school is like most in the U.S., you are juggling two completely separate systems. PowerSchool is the Student Information System (SIS) where official grades live. Canvas is the Learning Management System (LMS) where teachers post assignments, due dates, and sometimes their own gradebooks. The two systems often show different numbers for the same class because they update at different times and use different calculation methods.

This creates real confusion. You might see a B+ in English on PowerSchool but a 78% in the Canvas gradebook for the same class. Which one is right? Usually PowerSchool reflects the official grade, but Canvas shows more granular assignment-level data. Neither system makes this clear to parents.

Why schools use two separate systems

Schools use PowerSchool and Canvas for different purposes. PowerSchool is the official record system. It stores grades of record, attendance, transcripts, and demographic data. Canvas is where the daily teaching happens. Teachers post syllabi, assignments, discussion boards, and course materials. Some teachers maintain a gradebook in Canvas. Others only use PowerSchool for grades and Canvas for content.

These systems are purchased and managed separately by the school district. They were designed for administrators and teachers, not parents. The "parent portal" in each system is an afterthought.

Combining both into one view

Solyo takes a different approach to this problem. Instead of trying to connect to PowerSchool and Canvas through their portals (which would require school district permission), Solyo reads the email notifications both systems send to your inbox.

When PowerSchool emails you "New grade posted: AP US History, Unit 3 Test, A-," Solyo captures that grade. When Canvas emails you "Assignment graded: Essay Revision, 92/100," Solyo captures that too. Both data points appear in a single grade dashboard, organized by child and by class.

What your unified dashboard shows

• All grades from both platforms in one chronological feed
• Automatic GPA calculation using the official grade data
• Assignment-level detail from Canvas notifications
• Missing work alerts from either platform
• Upcoming deadlines extracted from Canvas assignment notifications

What if my school uses more than two platforms?

Many families manage even more than two systems. You might have PowerSchool for grades, Canvas for coursework, ParentSquare or Remind for school communication, and a separate app for athletics or extracurriculars. If you have multiple children, multiply that by the number of kids.

Solyo processes emails from all of these sources. Everything school-related that hits your inbox gets parsed and organized. The result is a single place to see what is happening across all of your children's schools and platforms.

Handling grade discrepancies between PowerSchool and Canvas

If you notice different grades in PowerSchool and Canvas for the same class, here is what to know. PowerSchool is almost always the official grade of record. Canvas gradebooks are managed by individual teachers and may use different weighting, may not include all assignments, or may show in-progress calculations. When in doubt, trust PowerSchool for the official grade.

That said, Canvas often gives you earlier visibility into how your child is performing on individual assignments before the official grade is updated in PowerSchool. Both data sources are valuable. Solyo gives you access to both without the hassle of checking two separate portals.